Video games come in all shapes and forms, taking various genres by storm with innovative game-play and new mechanics we haven't seen before. One such genre are simulation games, and one of the most popular in city building sims is Cities Skylines. Boasting a 9/10 review on Steam and highly regarded as one of the best in the genre, Cities Skylines is great for those who want to experience building up cities from the ground up. Called a "modern take on classic city simulations", the game will tickle the fancy of many simulation genre fans and strategy gamers.
Cities Skylines features you as the mayor where you'll be responsible for getting your city up and running. Plan all aspects of an upcoming city including the water system, electricity infrastructure, education sector, police, healthcare and more. Cities Skylines is a bit difficult as you manage your economy while your cities changes over time with problems popping up as you play. But it's still fun to see a city thrive with yourself at the helm.
The game initially released on PC and other platforms in March 2015, so it's a little dated which is good news for us. That means more laptops will be able to match up the system requirements without it being too graphically intensive. But to play it, you're going to need some of the best laptops for Cities Skylines to get it running as smooth as possible. Having enough power in your gaming laptop will help you get towering skyscrapers up in Cities Skylines and will help you get into newer releases and blockbuster games.
Before that, we're going to need to take a look at what the game requires for their minimum and their recommended system requirements. This will help us gauge what the best laptop for Cities Skylines will need.
Minimum System Requirements
Most, if not all gaming laptops will knock these specs out of the park which is good news for the average gamer. The best laptop for Cities Skylines will also need at least 4 GB RAM and 4 GB of space on the hard drive.
Like I said, they're not asking for much to get this game running.
Recommended System Requirements
Based on the recommended system requirements, the upgrades needed aren't too substantial. However, you do need to up the ante a bit to get the best performance out of Cities Skylines on your laptop.
For the recommended specs, they mention you should have at least an Intel Core i5-3470 processor with a 3.20GHz speed. This is a step up from the minimum system requirements so we'll try to list out laptops with the best processing speeds. Cities Skylines itself won't need too much power, but it does help future proof your laptop for other applications.
Cities Skylines also mentions that you'll be needing a little more power for your graphics card. The recommended system requirements include an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7870 with at least 2 gigs of RAM on board.
Other specs we're going to consider is the 6 GB RAM which is a bump up from the minimum with 2 extra gigs. After checking out these recommended system requirements, we can gauge what the best laptop for Cities Skylines should be packing.
The 5 Best Laptop For Cities Skylines
Now the system requirements are settled, let's get straight into the list in our search for the best Cities Skylines capable laptop for you!
*Note* - All laptops on the list will be using Windows 10 (64 bit) for ease of comparison.
1. ASUS ROG Zephyrus S Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop
If you wanted overkill, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S Ultra Slim (I need to take a breath) is by far one of thee best in the category. Especially so for Cities Skylines gamers. The laptop hits the recommended system requirements out of the park and is built for the hardcore gamer. Everything about the laptop screams 'gamer' from the aesthetics, gamer-centric features and admittedly unique form factor.
On the display, the gaming laptop comes with a 15.6-inch FHD display with a 144Hz refresh rate. Great for gaming as a high refresh rate will make even scrolling on a browser or through your desktop look so much smoother. Not to mention of its effects in-game. A high refresh rate means that your display shows updates on screen quicker than lower frame rates. In essence, a faster refresh rate will mean a smoother, faster laptop display. Perfect for navigating the environments and town in Cities Skylines.
Powering the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S is an Intel Core i7 8750H Hexa-Core processor, and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with 8 GB of onboard VRAM. These specs alone are impressive on their own and will get Cities Skylines looking and feeling its very best. That added to the 16 GB RAM and a speedy 512 GB SSD will make games and apps load up faster.
When you talk about a gaming laptop, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S is what most envision. It does one thing well, and that's get you fully immersed in games like Cities Skylines and any others you might want to check out. A powerhouse with a high price accompanying it, so if you wanted to elevate your game to the next level, this is the gaming laptop for you.
2. MSI GL75 Gaming Laptop
Another gaming beast, the MSI GL75 gaming laptop is powered up to take Cities Skylines to its limits. The MSI GL75 comes packing with a whopping 17.3" FHD display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. Essentially meaning the display is fully optimized to stack skyscrapers in Cities Skylines and ensure smooth performance in many modern day games. Powering the gaming laptop is a 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with 6 GB onboard VRAM.
That itself is some substantial fire power, but adding on to it is 16 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD + 1TB HDD of storage. Unsurprising that another high-end gaming laptop beats out the minimum specs for Cities Skylines out the park. Other games will also be able to take advantage of these specs, so when you're done with Cities Skylines you're able to check out other games.
Some other great features the MSI GL75 gaming laptop comes with include a Steel Series single backlit keyboard with Anti-Ghost keys and 2x 3W Giant speakers that they say are 5 times bigger than other laptops. Not sure on the validity of that claim, but it's best to be skeptical. Either way, good speakers will get you louder sound, better quality and crisper audio. A great addition for a gaming laptop, especially for Cities Skylines to take in the ambient noise to fully immerse yourself in-game.
The only con I'd say for the MSI GL75 is the absolute massive size and weight. It houses a 17.3-inch FHD display which I will say, has some tiny bezels to make up for the form factor. But the laptop still weighs in at a hefty 5.51 pounds, making it not very portable at all. If you were going to be keeping the laptop at a work station or your gaming desk, there shouldn't be too much of a problem. Wouldn't bring this around for meetings or classes on campus though.
3. Dell G7 7588 Gaming Laptop
Looking for something a little more subdued in aesthetics but still packs a punch? The Dell G7 is that and some. The gaming laptop comes with a 15.6-inch FHD display but is missing out on the higher refresh rate from some of the other laptops on the list. Not a deal breaker, but it makes it a little harder in the fight to be the best laptop for Cities Skylines.
For the lower price point however, it's pretty understandable. Powering the laptop is an 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H and the Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 for the graphics. Meaning it's more than powerful to take on the harsh city life in Cities Skylines.
Other notable specs include a staggering 32 GB RAM and some generous storage with a 512 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD combo. A far cry from the 4 GB RAM and 4 GB HD storage space from the minimum system requirements.
So far, the package seems pretty promising with great storage, memory options, processor and graphics card for a reasonable price tag. The aesthetics of the laptop, in my opinion, is pretty subtle with just a blue backlit keyboard and blue accent colors around the trackpad. The only other notion of it being a 'gaming laptop' is the bulky design and striking blue Dell logo on the back.
Another unique feature of the Dell G7 includes a sub-1" design with cooling vents and dual-fan cooling tech to help regulate heat and fan noise. That paired with two fine tuned front facing speakers powered by Waves MaxxAudio Pro will get you some great audio for Cities Skylines.
This is a great option for gamers and consumers looking for a minimalist gaming laptop to log some time in Cities Skylines. But at the same time, it's packing enough power and appeal to get you through other games you're interested in as well. Definitely high up in the running for the best laptop for Cities Skylines.
4. Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop
If you're looking for a gaming laptop that won't take too much out of your wallet, the Acer Nitro 5 is the laptop for you. For a significant price drop from the others on this list, you're getting great value in terms of specs.
On the display, the Acer Nitro 5 is packing a humble 15.6-inch FHD display which isn't the best around but still a great screen. That paired with the futuristic design, it makes for an almost alien looking laptop. Not everyone's cup of tea but it does look sharp. Maybe role-play as an Alien controlling the universe in Cities Skylines? The possibilities are endless.
The Acer Nitro 5 also comes with an older 7th Gen Intel Core i5-7300HQ and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics card.
Now, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a little outdated and not as powerful as some of the other laptops on the list. But considering the much lower price tag and what Cities Skylines requires to run smoothly, it's a great deal. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 is still a very capable graphics card, just not the best around.
The 7th Gen Intel Core i5 processor onboard the laptop isn't up to par with some of the others on the list. But as I mentioned earlier, it will more than get the job done for Cities Skylines.
Accompanying the GTX 1050 graphics card and Intel Core i5 processor is 8 GB DDR4 RAM and a 256 GB SSD making for a fairly well powered gaming laptop. The Acer Nitro 5 does have some tricks up its sleeves though. The laptop comes with an 'Iron Red' backlit keyboard, dual-fan cooling and Acer TrueHarmony and Dolby Audio Premium for the dual built-in speakers. You'll be able to hear all the ambient audio, traffic, and chatter from your citizens in Cities Skylines.
All together, the laptop makes for a compelling package which does a decent job across a variety of areas. For the price point, you're getting everything you need and could very well be the best laptop for you.
5. ASUS ROG G531GT Gaming Laptop
The ASUS ROG G531GT is another great laptop on the list for best laptop for Cities Skylines. It takes a different path from the Zephyrus lineup, sticking with a more traditional laptop form factor.
On the display, the laptop comes with a 15.6-inch FHD display with some thin bezels on the top and side but features a sizable chin on the bottom. The laptop does have a very niche look like many of the other laptops on the list. Depending on your preferences though, you'll either love it or hate.
Speaking of aesthetics, the laptop features some really futuristic design patterns. Roleplaying a city in the future in Cities Skylines perhaps? The laptop's entire design language, including the keyboard, screen, and rear panel feature the distinct theme. But it also comes with a special twist and features an Aura Sync lightbar which allows you to change the light and patterns displayed. This lets you show off a bit more than some of the other laptops on the list, and gives the consumer more customization options.
On to the internals, the ROG G531GT comes with an 8th Gen Intel Core i7-9750 processor and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a well-equipped and dependable video card which will get Cities Skylines running at the highest graphic settings. The 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processor is a little dated, but you shouldn't run into any problems.
Accompanying specs include 16GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD of storage which is quite a lot of space for games, documents, and other files you're storing on the laptop.
The price tag is definitely for those with a bigger budget, but overall is still very reasonable for some pretty great specs.
Conclusion
The 'best' laptop isn't necessarily the 'best' laptop for you, so keep that in mind in your search. Cities Skylines will still run great on all the laptops on this list as they cover the recommended specs by a long shot.
But of course, we have to to pick one out as the best of the best laptops for Cities Skylines. Today, the laptop winning the honor is none other than the ASUS ROG G531GT!
This laptop gets you all you need to reach the skies in Cities Skylines with some substantial power. That added to the eye-catching futuristic design and Aura Sync lightbar makes for one of the best looking laptops around. The total package here is a great combination of features and aesthetics and at a reasonable price for all those features. It's flashy, powerful and money conscious, sort of what you're going to be as you take on the Mayoral role in Cities Skylines.
